UNC Football

Despite recently agreeing to become UNC's next head coach, Bill Belichick has not been able to escape rumors that he could still return to the NFL, and a new development could fuel further speculation.

Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported that "there is no fully executed and signed contract between Belichick and UNC." Jones added that if Belichick chose to go back to the NFL, industry sources said the lack of a signed contract "could lead to a legal gray area about how much, if any, of a buyout there would be."

Michael Lombardi, UNC football's general manager, said in a post on social media that Belichick isn't interested in returning to the NFL:

Jones noted that industry sources "agree it is not atypical at the collegiate level for coaches to begin working without a fully executed contract." A UNC spokesperson even told him that the school has "had coaches coach here for a year before they had an actual contract."

An agent who works with coaches in the pros and college also confirmed to Jones, "It's not unusual to sign [a term sheet] and then have the full contract take a while." A second agent added, "Schools drag their feet like crazy, and I don't know why."

While all signs point to Belichick moving forward with the Tar Heels, many couldn't help but wonder about the possibility of him returning to the NFL. After the Dallas Cowboys chose to part ways with head coach Mike McCarthy earlier this week, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reported that Belichick "would have been interested in the Cowboys' job." Schultz added that Belichick has "an excellent relationship with the Jones family."

Still, it makes sense that Lombardi would want to quell the noise, as Belichick's first attempt at coaching in college would take a significant hit if there's uncertainty over his status at UNC. The 72-year-old will have to convince top recruits that he's committed to the Tar Heels if he hopes to achieve the same level of success he experienced in the NFL.

A month into the Bill Belichick era at North Carolina, the football program's general manager is already having to ease worries about the pace at which the coaching staff is coming together.

On Monday, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio wrote about the Tar Heels' staff, which hasn't expanded much in the weeks after Belichick's arrival and was "making for frayed nerves." UNC football general manager Michael Lombardi pushed back against that idea Tuesday:

On cue, The Athletic's Bruce Feldman and 247Sports' Matt Zenitz reported UNC is close to hiring Armond Hawkins away from Washington as its defensive backs coach.

However, poaching Hawkins may not totally dispel the narrative the Tar Heels are overwhelmingly targeting personnel they already know. As a member of the Huskies' staff, Hawkins worked alongside Steve Belichick, Bill's son. Florio hit on how that's a general theme right now.

"Freddie Kitchens, a holdover from the prior staff, serves as offensive coordinator. Bill's son, Steve, is the defensive coordinator," he wrote. "Matt Lombardi, G.M. Mike Lombardi's son, is an offensive assistant. Chris Jones, a former CFL coach who worked for Kitchens in 2019, is a defensive assistant. Billy Miller is a general position assistant. And Moses Cabrera, who worked for Belichick in New England, is the strength and conditioning coach."

And looming in the background are the fears that Belichick could bolt for the NFL at the earliest opportunity.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Jan. 8 that "multiple NFL teams have inquired about whether (Belichick) would reconsider his move to college football." Tom Brady, a minority owner in the Las Vegas Raiders, spoke to his former coach directly.

Based purely on how recently he took the UNC job, the odds of Belichick returning to the NFL are probably low. But it's not great for the Tar Heels that Lombardi has to publicly dispel this idea.

That makes for great fodder when rival schools are chasing the same high school recruits or players in the transfer portal as North Carolina. It's pretty easy to float the idea the whole vision the Tar Heels are trying to lay out with Belichick could disappear in an instant.

North Carolina football general manager Michael Lombardi shut down recent rumors that NFL teams have reached out to Bill Belichick to try to get the Tar Heels head coach to interview for vacant coaching positions.

On The Pat McAfee Show, Lombardi said Belichick is "committed" to North Carolina and the rumors have "no legs."

Completely committed, 1,000 percent committed," Lombardi said. "Guys that do the insider stuff for the NFL, they've got to put stories out there. That one was a complete falsehood. Coach Belichick, when that story came out, was recruiting South Jersey... That story just had no legs. I think what often happens in rumoring, and I know this from doing it in the league, is people try to make a connection. A to B equals C. That's not always the case. Yes, Tom Brady is being involved with interviews, yes Tom Brady is doing research on coaching candidates, yes Tom Brady is calling people up for advice and council... but don't assume because he's doing that that he wants Bill Belichick. Bill Belichick committed to North Carolina, he committed to me, he committed to the university. There's been no conversation about anything.

Several reports in recent days have said that Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady reached out to Belichick regarding a head coaching job, though Mark Maske of The Washington Post noted that the Raiders "have not been giving serious consideration in recent days to trying to hire Belichick as their coach."

While it's impossible to rule out Belichick's return to the NFL entirely, Lombardi made it clear that the legendary head coach has no intention of abandoning his post in Chapel Hill.

After watching UConn defensive lineman Pryce Yates dominate UNC in the Fenway Bowl, new Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick reportedly decided to add him to the roster.

According to ESPN's Max Olson, Yates is expected to transfer to North Carolina this offseason as one of Belichick's first major acquisitions through the transfer portal.

Yates earned defensive MVP honors in the Fenway Bowl after racking up six total tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack in UConn's 27-14 victory over UNC at Fenway Park in Boston. The loss for the Tar Heels was the final game before the Belichick era officially began.

In three seasons with the Huskies, Yates had career numbers of 108 total tackles, 12.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and three passes defended. After appearing in all 25 games over his freshman and sophomore seasons, he missed the first six games of the 2024 campaign due to injury before returning on Oct. 19 against Wake Forest.

Per Don Callahan of 247Sports, Yates initially entered the transfer portal on Dec. 13 before withdrawing his name following a visit to N.C. State. He re-entered the portal on Dec. 30, two days after his breakout performance in the Fenway Bowl.

Yates is now the third defensive lineman to commit to UNC in the transfer portal, joining Melkart Abou-Jaoude (Delaware) and CJ Mims (East Carolina). In total, 13 transfers have committed to the Tar Heels so far.

Belichick appears to have had no trouble in his transition from the NFL to the college level, and the legendary head coach surely will continue to find ways to improve the UNC roster before the 2025 season.

UNC head coach Bill Belichick is adjusting to the college recruitment landscape by launching a new social media presence.

"I'm officially on Twitter, so you can follow me there," Belichick said in a Monday appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.

Belichick's new X account had already shared its first post earlier that afternoon:

Belichick's interview with McAfee came as the former New England Patriots head coach said he was on the road for his first recruiting visit as a college coach.

The trip has so far taken Belichick to North Carolina schools including South Garner High School and Rolesville High School.

The prospects who met with Belichick included four-star defensive end Zavion Griffin-Haynes, a Class of 2026 prospect who was formerly committed to North Carolina before parting ways with the program following former head coach Mack Brown's departure.

North Carolina's incoming 2025 class is currently ranked No. 80 in the nation by 247Sports. Belichick will look to combine his NFL success with his newly-accessible social media presence to boost that ranking by 2026.

Despite Bill Belichick's shift from the NFL to college football, the eight-time Super Bowl champion coach still has ideas on how to improve the NFL.

During his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, Belichick proposed that the NFL should shift to a draft lottery system similar to the NBA's to prevent teams from tanking.

"I was never involved in (tanking) but I don't know what happens somewhere else. It's different than the NBA. The NBA kind of rectified that by having a lottery. So even if you're the worst team, you're not guaranteed the first pick," Belichick said (1:28:00 mark). "In the NFL, that's not quite the case. If you are the worst team, you do get the first pick."

The lottery system could potentially eliminate tanking in the NFL. Belichick's main point, per Awful Announcing's Ben Axelrod, was the benefits of preventing teams from having a direct path to the No. 1 pick, especially when college football draft classes feature clear No. 1 overall quarterback prospects.

"Personally, I don't think it would be a bad idea for the competitiveness of the sport to do something similar to what basketball does with those lottery picks," Belichick said. "Then we wouldn't be having this conversation — well we might be having it, but there'd be other circumstances besides just your record. There'd be actually a lottery part of it. But that's not a decision for me to make, that's just a suggestion."

The discussion followed the New York Giants' chaotic 45-33 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday and the potential impact it could have on the 2025 NFL Draft order. The New England Patriots, Belichick's former team, enter Week 18 as frontrunners to secure the No. 1 pick, per NBC Sports Justin Leger.

Legendary head coach Bill Belichick is embarking on his new life as UNC head coach, and it sounds like he's planning on bringing some familiar faces with him.

During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, Belichick revealed that he's going to start putting together his coaching staff within the coming weeks, and many of the coaches he brings in will have NFL experience.

"I'll really start to move on that this week and next week. A lot of coaches that are potentially available that'll be on the staff are either still involved in college football bowl games, playoffs or they're still involved in the NFL, which we still have another week of the regular season, and then some of them are in the playoffs as well, so we'll see how that plays out. But there will be a strong NFL presence on the staff, but not exclusively. We have some other people, too, that we're working on," Belichick said.

Belichick already announced that he will be retaining former Tar Heels interim head coach Freddie Kitchens on his staff. Kitchens, who coached the Cleveland Browns in 2019, has been with the UNC football program since 2023.

Belichick is also expected to bring his son Stephen Belichick with him to UNC. Stephen Belichick spent the 2024 season as defensive coordinator for Washington after previously working under his dad with the New England Patriots.

The 72-year-old added that his staff will be focused on establishing a winning culture and developing players at UNC.

"So, trying to put together the best that we can, coaches that'll help the players and help produce winning football at Carolina. That's what we're there for, we're there to help the players," he said.

The sun set on a disappointing era of North Carolina football in fitting fashion on Saturday as the Tar Heels lost to UConn 27-14 in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl.

The Huskies had their way with North Carolina all game, especially on the ground as they racked up 210 rushing yards and a touchdown. Junior running back Mel Brown led the way with 96 rushing on 11 carries.

The Tar Heels offense was sluggish in the loss, producing just 206 total yards of offense. North Carolina's special teams accounted for half of its points as Chris Culliver scored on a kick return. The Tar Heels' other touchdown came on a trick play that saw running back Caleb Hood find John Copenhaver for a touchdown.

North Carolina looked to freshman quarterback Michael Merdinger under center in his first collegiate appearance, and it wasn't a memorable day for the young player. Merdinger completed just nine of his 12 pass attempts for 86 yards and an interception.

After the disappointing conclusion to the season, fans expressed their excitement for new coach Bill Belichick's arrival.

Belichick, the legendary New England Patriots head coach who won six Super Bowls, agreed to a five-year deal with the Tar Heels earlier this month following Mack Brown's firing. It will be his first time coaching at the collegiate level, but expectations are high given his past success.

Though it's been competitive in the ACC throughout the years, North Carolina has never boasted an elite team. Fans are hoping Belichick can change that.

UNC football head coach Bill Belichick is not expected to attend the Tar Heels' Fenway Bowl game against UConn, per ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Belichick signed a five-year, $50 million contract with the Tar Heels to coach the team for the 2025-2029 seasons. In the meantime, interim coach Freddie Kitchens is leading the team on the field after UNC parted ways with ex-head coach Mack Brown. Kickoff in Boston's Fenway Park is slated for Saturday morning at 11 a.m. ET.

Belichick wasn't present at the Fenway Bowl media day on Friday, nor has he been at the team's bowl game practices. However, there's a reason for his absences, as UNC AD Bubba Cunningham noted, per Thamel.

"He's totally dialed into building the roster," Cunningham said. "He didn't want to go to practice or be a distraction to the kids or the coaches for the bowl game."

He also said: "It's been great. He and [UNC general manager Mike Lombardi] have locked themselves in a room and really spent all the time since he's been announced, building the roster for this spring and next year."

In the meantime, Kitchens, who will be on Belichick's staff, leads the show on the field. Belichick has been hard at work, though. Of note, linebacker Amare Campbell recalled how Belichick recruited him to return to Chapel Hill after he entered the transfer portal.

"I knew how he would develop me and we would compete at a high level," Campbell said.

He also noted: "You know how he is, he's monotone. He kind of got that robot kind of voice. He was just like, 'We're going to compete, we're going to get better. We're going to work every day.' And that's been my mindset since I've been growing up. So that's something I can really get behind and I trust him as a coach."

Belichick's son, Steve Belichick, is also aboard as UNC's defensive coordinator.

The new staff in town has a lot of work to do to turn around a program that is about to go four straight seasons without finishing in the Top 25 of the Associated Press poll. This year's squad notably is 6-6 (3-5 ACC) and particularly struggled on defense. But UNC is putting its hopes in an eight-time Super Bowl winner in Belichick as he coaches in college for the first time in his career.

Bill Belichick is bringing his son on staff as he starts his journey at the collegiate level.

Per 247Sports' Matt Zenitz, Belichick's son, Steve, will join the Tar Heels staff as a defensive coordinator after his current team, Washington, plays its bowl game. Steve Belichick, who worked under Bill Belichick on the New England Patriots from 2012 to 2013, is the current defensive coordinator for the Huskies.

Steve Belichick joined the Patriots staff as a defensive assistant in 2012 and stayed in that role until 2016 when he became the safeties coach for three seasons. From there, he was New England's defensive backs coach for one year and was the outside linebackers coach from 2020 until his father's final season at the helm last year.

He found success in his first season at Washington, taking the Huskies from 99th nationally (406.7 yards per game) in total defense in 2023 to 26th (324.8 yards per game) this year. Washington finished 6-6 and has a date with Louisville in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31.

Steve Belichick is the second addition to Bill Belichick's coaching staff after he retained Freddie Kitchens as an offensive analyst. Kitchens, who was the tight ends coach and run game coordinator over the past two seasons, was named interim head coach after Mack Brown's firing and will coach the Tar Heels in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl against UConn.

Bill Belichick has some time to figure out his staff before the fall but said he plans to bring in coaches from the NFL to fill up his staff.

"But look, in the end, I've already had a lot of people contact me," Bill Belichick said during his introductory press conference (h/t On3's Alex Byington). "There will certainly be a strong presence of NFL people on the staff. I think that's a certainty. And not only in the staff but in the training area. But at the same time looking for the best people we can get for Carolina, and that fit is a little different than what an NFL team would have, but we'll see."

Kitchens, like both Belichick's, has NFL experience, including one season as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns.